Implications of demographic change for civil society in Germany

Abstract

Germany is currently beginning to become aware of the consequences of a process of demographic change, initially triggered by extremely low levels of fertility. The population recently started to decline, the demographic dividend is coming to an end and the ageing of society accelerates. Particularly places in peripheral regions are already seriously affected by this process which will increase in pace and spread spatially. Shrinking and ageing populations are associated with a declining purchasing power as well as fewer local tax revenues for public and private services and infrastructure. The population necessary to maintain and economically justify the provision of public services and infrastructure at the current level will in many cases shrink below required thresholds. Commercial services will probably also continue to diminish at such places. Volunteer organizations may provide some of the services which the local administrations can no longer afford to provide and thus strengthen civil society and social cohesion. But can this be an option for communities with a shrinking and ageing population in which qualified younger people are lost through out-migration? The paper presents a new projection of the future demographic capacity for volunteer organizations and concludes that the decay of demographic capacity will affect most regions and sectors of civil society. The loss will be most prominent in remote areas with low population density and in sectors where the need to compensate for declining public services and infrastructure will be highest.